The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has welcomed the GST Council’s recent move to reduce Goods and Services Tax on several cancer and other essential medicines, calling it a significant step toward making healthcare more affordable for millions of patients. In a statement, the association thanked both the Council and the Government of India for the decision.
While appreciating the relief provided on life-saving drugs, the IMA stressed that medical devices are equally vital to healthcare delivery. Lowering GST on equipment, it said, would reduce hospitals’ operational costs, making treatment less expensive for patients and easing the financial pressure on healthcare institutions.
The association noted that the reduction in GST on critical medicines would help families coping with serious conditions such as cancer, kidney disease, and severe infections, while also reinforcing the government’s commitment to public health and patient welfare.
However, the IMA also urged the government to take further steps. It called for a complete GST exemption on a broad category of life-saving and essential drugs, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy medicines, insulin and other antidiabetic drugs, cardiac and blood pressure treatments, as well as medicines for asthma, COPD, hemophilia, and rare disorders like myelodysplastic syndromes.
The association also flagged difficulties faced by its state and local branches in obtaining GST and TAN registrations, citing problems caused by nomenclature-related technicalities. It appealed to the Council to resolve these issues and simplify compliance procedures.
In addition, the IMA pressed for the removal of GST on hospital beds, emphasizing that beds are a basic healthcare need, not a luxury item. It further recommended exempting health insurance from GST to ease the financial burden on families during medical crises.
Concluding its statement, the IMA reiterated its gratitude to the GST Council and expressed hope that these additional measures would be taken up in the larger interest of public health.